21-Apr-2001
Title: Chasing the Crown, an Extended Family Fic
ExFam Authors:
RavynFyre - ravynfyre@hotmail.com
Diane Davis - fenwyck@radiks.net
von - sablexo1@yahoo.com
bonnejeanne - bonnejeanne@yahoo.com
*Special Guest Writer! Nixie the Pixie!*
Nixers - Nixerchan@aol.com
Category: yaoi, AU
Rating: NC-17 for now, that will change
Pairings: 1x2, 3+4
Spoilers: Series, Endless Waltz, Mission: Arcadia
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners.
Kenny, Duan, Wufan, Tryan, Carter, Jack and the Ripper, and everything relating to Rip & Jack's universe are ours. No money being made here.
Feedback: Any and all comments, feedback, critiques welcome, be they short or long.
Please feel free to direct feedback to any or all of the authors!
WARNINGS: AU (Alternate Universe), Original Characters, LEMON in some sections. Kiddie-Angst.
Hi all! I forgot to make a point os mentioning, when I posted Part 14, that Ravyn writes for Dorothy, and in this section, for another character you will see! ^__^
Zechs led the way to a lift somewhat off the main corridor. To reach the bottom, he opened a concealed panel and punched in a code, and the lift went smoothly down to what the floor display read as "-3"
The lift door opened onto a wide open but mostly dark space. A few work lights were on here and there, but for the most part the area was empty and unused.
There were however some work consoles, several cabinets for tools, several tunnel exits and empty bays for a number of large objects of roughly rectangular shape.
Zechs stayed back a bit near the lift doors, content at his vantage point and to let the guests explore. He had a feeling that even if anything dangerous remained they would be able to take care of themselves... Still, he kept a close eye; a lost child amongst the cavernous areas conjured up visions of a slow death.
Tryan took in everything at a glance, then took off towards one of the mobile suit bays. Looking at it closely, he nodded, then smiled... and began climbing.
Wufan moved to an empty bay, then sat down in front of it and took out his notepad. He began quickly sketching it, including as much detail as possible. He glanced over his shoulder at Kenny and smiled. "You were right, 17 meters. They jumped all right," he added.
Duan giggled suddenly, then pointed to where Tryan was walking across an un-railed beam. When he came to a juncture, he merely leapt down to the next level.
"Tryan!" Zechs choked, feeling like a second heart attack was coming on at the acrobatics. "Please, come back down here... carefully," he asked, trying to keep a somewhat stern and composed tone.
Kenny moved over to one of the work consoles. He studied the controls for a few moments, ignoring the attention being focused on Tryan. He studied... then he reached out and deftly pushed a series of buttons. The console came to life. *flip* *flip* A set of readouts began scrolling on the screen.
"Hey Duan, lookit this," he said quietly, focusing on the information being displayed. "This musta been from the last one someone worked on. Wing... says the name is Wing..."
"Cool!" Duan said, scurrying over.
"Um, you might not want to yell at him," Wufan said, looking up at Zechs. "He's an acrobat. That's probably more stable than the circus ropes."
"Look at the specs for this beam cannon..." Kenny muttered.
Duan rubbed his palms together. "Hahahaha!" he said.
Tryan heard his name called and Zechs' instruction to come down carefully. "Yes, sir!" he called back, then leapt off of the beam, executed a triple twist, and landed on the ground. He then tumbled twice to a standing position in front of Zechs. "You wanted me?" he asked, looking up at the taller man through the fringe of bangs.
It took a moment for Zechs to remember that to answer, he'd have to start breathing again. "Yes," he said, a little weakly, "As a favor, could you please stay on ground level?"
Tryan's head tilted slightly at the request, then he nodded. "Yes, sir," he said with a disappointed sigh.
"Thank you," Zechs said with more than a little relief, between that and... Zechs turned slightly, not really wanting to but asking anyway. "What's got your interest?" he said to the two boys at the console not far from where he stood.
Kenny looked sideways at the tall man and turned off the console display.
"Nothing sir."
Duan kept his attention on the console. He'd have no trouble recalling what went where and the instructions for the beam cannon, being blessed with a photographic memory.
Sallah strolled over to stand next to Zechs, having been wandering about, noting contrasts between this place and the base she'd lived on previously. "You don't have to worry," she said quietly to the blond man. "They're... they aren't like children here. They're capable of... incredible things." She met Zechs' gaze, shrugging slightly.
Zechs nodded slightly to the woman, giving her a smile. "I am beginning to believe that."
"I know it must be startling, but..." she paused, considering her words, "You just have to trust them." She grinned, then patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. "You'll get used to it, after a bit."
"You altered the Tallgeese, didn't you?" Wufan asked, looking up from his pad.
Zechs nodded slightly to Wufan. "It was necessary at the time."
"I read about your last battle on Earth. You adapted to it, right?" the young Chinese boy asked.
Again he nodded slightly. A vague inkling of where the questioning was going began to trickle in persistently. "A request for some adaptations here as well then?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.
Wufan frowned slightly. "Huh? I meant that the Tallgeese was a very powerful mobile suit, a prototype. You had to test it out and your body had to adjust to what... its performance."
"Carter, you ok?" Kenny asked. The blond was standing still in a clear space in the room, his eyes closed, arms wrapped around his chest.
Tryan dashed over to where Carter stood and touched one of his hands. "Carter," he said quietly. "Come back."
The little blond boy blinked and opened his eyes but they stayed a bit unfocused.
"There was a war," he said. "They hid the mobile suits here... at first even from the princess. Because they were trying to show the world that everyone didn't have to fight. But the big power didn't leave them alone. The enemy suits that didn't have people in them - they came and fired. And they had to take the three suits and fight them. There were so many. They didn't expect to win, but they were trying to defend the princess..."
Brows drawn together, and having completely forgotten the other line of conversation in the unsettling narration, Zechs broke the quiet that filled the hangar after the small blond had stopped. "I think it would be better if we rejoined the others for the night." he said, "I can show you the rest later if you'd like."
Carter tilted his head, but his eyes were still far away. His attention drifted to one of the tunnels. "Oh... it was like... before... the sound of explosions and the pounding through the ground. They came down here... the man and the little girl and the boy... they waited, but the others didn't come. When the lift moved, the man suddenly grabbed the girl and told the little boy to run. They ran through the tunnels... there was thunder and the lights went away... and the boy got lost in the tunnels..."
Far more unsettled than the shock at seeing what had appeared to be smaller Gundam pilots had delivered, Zechs turned sharply and keyed the opening for the lift's doors. "He made it out, she had a good life and the man remained her retainer, end of story," he said, a little sharply.
Kenny glanced at Duan and shrugged. He looked at Tryan and jerked his head towards the lift.
Tryan nodded and then gently pulled Carter along with him towards the lift.
Wufan stood and looked over at Zechs for a long moment. He then retrieved his note pad and went over to Sallah. Reaching out, he squeezed her hand. "Xie xie, Ma," he said, quietly. "For taking up for us."
She squeezed his hand back gently, sighing softly. "I had to try... I don't think he understands, though," she murmured in reply. She shook her head slightly.
"He understands," Wufan said, "It's his culture. It won't allow him to show what he feels much. He is like us."
Taking her hand, Wufan moved towards the lift. Once inside, he put an arm around Carter's shoulder. "One at a time," he said.
Carter blinked and yawned suddenly. He looked around and smiled. "Did we just get here or are we just leaving?"
"We're leaving," Wufan said.
Carter nodded agreeably.
Slightly shaking his head, and determined not to think about it, Zechs set the lift in motion for the first floor.
When the lift arrived, the small group filed out, and as the door was closing behind Zechs, a small figure with a red cap of hair turned a corner and almost fell into Kenny and Duan.
Kenny reached out with unconscious reflexes and set the other body back on its feet, brows drawing together for an instant threat assessment.
"Oh! Excuse m-" Mariemeia's voice trailed off as she met the boy's searching gaze, a flash of surprise crossing her face as she reached out for the wall to regain her balance.
"Mariemeia-chan," Zechs greeted from the rear of the group. "It's been a while."
The girl's glance bounced distractedly up to Zechs for a moment, and then swept over the rest of the group, pausing on Wufan and Kenny for a beat longer than the others. She finally looked back up at Zechs and dropped into a very quick curtsey, although it had the air of something done more by rote than actual intent.
"Mister Zechs. It has," she agreed, and then looked back at the boys, "Hi. I'm Mariemeia. You are...."
Duan glanced from Kenny to the girl and back. "I'm Duan, that's Kenny," he said.
"Tryan," Tryan offered. "This is Carter."
Wufan blinked, then closed his mouth which had been opened as he realized who the red haired girl was. He took a step forward, closer to her. "I am Po Wufan," he said, with a bow. "This is my mother Po Sallah. It is an honor to meet you Mariemeia Khushrenada."
Mariemeia nodded courteously at Sallah, before her attention darted back to the boys, glance bouncing over them all, although it was clear her attention heavily favored Kenny and Wufan the most.
"Are you here for the party?"
"Hn," said Kenny.
"Yes," Duan said.
"Oh," she replied. Although the single word was quiet, she was obviously pleased, "What are you all doing now?"
"Going back to our rooms," Kenny said. "Thanks for the tour, Zechs."
"My pleasure," the man responded automatically. He looked to the small redhead while making his way to the front of the group. "I take it Une has arrived as well then." Zechs asked, more out of formality than any need for the obvious to be restated.
There was a momentary spark of guilt and panic in Mariemeia's eyes as Zechs spoke Une's name, but she covered it quickly by nodding politely.
"She's settling into our room," the girl said smoothly, feigning a disinterested air, "Which I think is near yours, sir," she continued, rambling slightly.
An eyebrow raised at the evasion and just as smoothly Zechs replied. "Convenient. I suppose she wouldn't mind a guest then, it's been too long."
Kenny considered this a dismissal and grabbed Duan's hand, glancing back at the other three.
"Nice to have met you," Carter said politely.
Without further ado, Kenny made tracks in the direction he calculated would lead to their rooms.
Mariemeia's expression faltered for a moment as she watched the retreating boys.
"Oh," this time, the softly spoken word wasn't as pleased, "Um... You too."
Wufan bowed once again. "I am honored to have met you, Miss Khushrenada," he said. "Maybe we can talk at the party."
She brightened a little again, nodding at Wufan as she returned his bow with another curtsey.
"That would be nice. Are you going back to your room, too?"
Wufan glanced up at Sallah, then back down. "Um, I think so. What about you?"
She shook her head suddenly, that flash of guilt and panic back again for an instant.
"I'm just out for a walk," she said quickly, "Um... stretching my legs."
Wufan frowned slightly, then asked, "Did you want someone to walk with you?"
"Sure! Umm... as long as we don't go up to the third floor," she said, leaning in a little to whisper the last a little conspiratorially, "For a little while at least."
Wufan nodded, then looked up at Sallah. "Is this all right with you?" he asked.
Sallah's eyebrows had risen as she observed the exchange between the two children. A smile twitched at the corners of her lips, and she nodded. "That sounds all right, but come back in an hour so we can get ready for dinner, okay?"
Wufan nodded. "I'll be back in an hour," he said, then turned back to Mariemeia.
Zechs had watched the conversation with some bemusement, deciding not to blow the red head's cover. He was still a little peeved over the 'mandatory vacation time' Une had given him oh so conveniently.
Offering an arm to Sallah, he asked, "Would you care for an escort?"
Sallah tilted her head to regard the blond man, a smile spreading over her face as she accepted, wrapping her hand around his arm. "Thank you. You're very kind." Glancing back over her shoulder, she called out to the two children, "Don't get into any trouble!" ...though it almost seemed the comment was more directed at the red-haired girl.
Wufan looked up with a very peaceful look on his face. He smiled, noting the expression in his mother's face. It made him think about the father he never got to meet. Then, he turned to Mariemeia.
"Have you been here a lot?" he asked.
"Often enough. Want to see the gardens?" she asked.
"Sure," he said as his mind worked on a few of the questions he wanted to ask her.
"Great!" she replied as she reached out and grabbed his hand and started jogging away, "Come on!"
Wufan felt himself dragged along a few paces, then he stopped and held on to Mariemeia's hand, causing her to stop as well. "There's something you're not saying," he said. "It's all right. Maybe you can tell me later when we get outside."
She frowned slightly as she turned back and considered him thoughtfully for a moment.
"You sound like him, too," she murmured quietly before shaking it off and gracing Wufan with a wry grin, "Sure. But if we don't get moving soon, and Une catches up with me, we won't be *seeing* the gardens."
"Okay," Wufan replied. "So, maybe you can tell me about her when we get outside," he said, then began moving again.
Mariemeia grinned at Wufan and then resumed tugging him along, fleeing to the outdoors and down a path until they were deep in the garden. She kept glancing up at the large manor, altering her course every now and then to avoid being seen from a particular bank of windows on the third floor. Eventually, she led them to a small fountain surrounded by hedges and roses climbing ornate trellises, with several small stone benches scattered around the carefully cultivated area. With a small sigh of relief, she took a seat on a bench bordered by red roses and looked up at Wufan, biting her lower lip slightly.
"What's wrong?" Wufan asked, a little winded, but very interested. He knew something was up with this girl, that she was running from her guardian, but the question foremost on his mind was why. He sat down next to her on the bench.
"That's a very open ended question, you know," she observed, turning to watch the water tumbling from the fountain into the pool at its base.
Wufan shrugged, then pushed his glasses back up on his nose. "Ok, so why are you running away from the third floor?" he asked.
She sighed with exasperation and popped up to her feet, pacing over to the water restlessly before turning to grace him with a wry grin.
"Because I'm *not* made of spun glass, no matter how much she tries to pretend otherwise. Is it wrong to want to have fun now and then? It's not like I'm going to go try and take over the world again!" She stopped suddenly and shook her head, "Sorry. That was... rude."
"You are angry and that is what you felt like saying. You don't need to apologize for that," Wufan replied. "Besides, there aren't any big people here. You can say what you want. I don't mind."
"I'm not angry, really. I'm just tired," she said, returning to the bench where she sat again, "I shouldn't blame her. It's hard putting up with me, I'm sure."
Wufan watched the red headed girl and wondered if she shared any traits with her father. He thought about what she'd said. "That can be said of everyone at some time," he replied. "They don't trust you."
"I suppose," she agreed lightly, turning to examine a nearby rose minutely, "Let yourself get manipulated into starting one little war and suddenly, everyone's afraid of you." She laughed to herself and shrugged. After a moment, she stilled and turned her head back minutely, although she didn't meet his gaze. "You know Wufei, don't you?"
Wufan nodded. "Yes," he answered. "Chang Wufei lives with us. You know him too, don't you?"
"He piloted Nataku for me. For the future," she replied softly, "He's here, then?"
Wufan smiled a little. "Yes, he is here," he said, looking at her closely. "Do you still believe that?"
"Believe what?" she asked, keeping her attention focused on the flower just beyond her hand.
"Do you believe everything that you were told? Some big people lie," Wufan said.
"I believe the sky is blue because I can see the truth with my own two eyes. I believe that I am the daughter of Treize Khushrenada because I've seen the tests that prove it. I believe that the sun will set tonight and rise again in the morning because such motion is too great to be altered in the course of a single night. But do I believe in the necessity of war and the need to be a victor? Do I believe in everything that happened? No. Not anymore. There is a world out there of big people that children aren't supposed to understand, but I'm learning. Sounds like you are too."
Wufan shrugged again. "I'm trying to learn things. I'd like to be a warrior like Wufei, but I don't know if it will happen exactly the same way," he said. "You believe in war?"
"The world needs warriors like Wufei. Just don't let anyone set your morality for you. That's where I went wrong," she said, sighing, "War? I believe that war happens, and that people are still young enough that the memory of conflict will fade all too soon, and war will come again some day. I believe that war may strengthen us, but at what cost? I was wrong."
"You still are," Wufan said, looking up at Mariemeia. "War... it just doesn't happen on its own. People start wars and people stop them. In between, a lot of people get hurt, or die. The soldiers, like Wufei, Heero, Duo and your father, the General, are like the workforce. They're the ones who get manipulated without a voice to say whether or not they like it or what they can see going on. The civilians.. they get it rough too. No one asks them if they like having their houses or places blown up. You were talking about victory, but I doubt if you ever thought about victory over what, before."
She sat in silence, digesting his words for a long while. Finally, she reached out and plucked the rose she'd been staring at from the vine, turning to cradle it in her hands before offering it to Wufan.
"Do you know why my father liked roses so much?" she asked, contemplating the deep red petals.
"No, but I know he liked beautiful things, though," Wufan said, bringing the rose in his hand to his nose. "Why?"
"Beautiful things..." she murmured, her eyes turned inward, "Yes. Beautiful. The perfection of each petal gracefully folding into the next. Even an imperfect rose still retains its beauty. But under it all, there are thorns. And if you aren't careful, they will prick you. It was the subtlety of it that appealed to him," she said, her voice confident, "What do you think about that?"
"Did you ever meet him?" Wufan asked.
"There, you see it," she said with a small smile, "No. I never knew my father. All I know is what people have told me. Unlike the sky, I can't see the truth for myself." She looked up finally, meeting Wufan's eyes for a moment before glancing down almost shyly, "I made that part about the flower up. I don't know why he liked them so much. Like I said... I never knew him."
Wufan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I never knew my father either, " he said. "The part about the flower was neat. You do know the truth when you see it for yourself. You knew that about the flower and you should take credit for it instead of passing it on. That way, it is yours, completely. That's what I'm finding out. It's okay to give honor and credit to those we love, but if you never take anything for your own, then you'll only be a shadow." Taking Mariemeia's hand, he gently placed the flower into her palm, being careful not to prick her with the thorns.
She stared down at it for a long moment, biting her lower lip again. "You're pretty smart, Po Wufan," she said at length, "I wish I could go to school with you instead of those stuffy tutors Lady Une finds for me. I think I'd learn more." She looked back up at him and grinned again, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Wufan smiled. "What if you went to school with other kids and by the end of it, you didn't feel the same about being victorious or wanting to rule the world anymore? What if you learned other things instead? Would you still want to do it?" he asked.
"Would I still want to rule the world you mean?" she asked, cocking her head at him.
Wufan shook his head slightly. "What I meant was if you knew beforehand that going to school would change the way you feel about.. well, ruling the world or almost everything, would you still want to go to school?" he said.
She stared back down at the rose, her brows drawn together in thought. "Yeah," she answered, "As long as there was someone out there who could give all the people in the workforce you spoke of... the soldiers and civilians... as long as there was someone out there listening to them, yeah. I think I'd pick school."
Wufan nodded slowly. "This may sound strange to you, but have you ever heard of Yin and Yang?" he asked.
"I'm guessing you mean more than just having seen that circular symbol, right?" she answered with a slight smile.
Wufan took out his note pad and pen. Flipping to a clean page, he drew a circle. "That represents everything there is," he said. Then he drew a stylized S shape inside the circle. "On this side, lies all of the positive, or let's just call it light energy. The other side is all of the dark energy. Put them together inside the circle and that represents everything in the natural world," he said and then drew two tiny circles on either side of the S shape. Inside the circles, he put a small d inside the circle on the light side and an l in the other small circle on the dark side. "The principle of Yin/Yang is one of balance. There is light in the darkness, like stars in the night sky and dark in the light.. umm like a dark cloud in the day sky. Together they form a picture of balance. Sometimes that balance is upset and there's more dark in the light and more light in the dark. When that happens, nature tips things the other way to create balance. People are like that too. Nothing is perfect. Everything is perfect. That is Yin/Yang. If you conquer the world, the world will conquer you."
She reached out with the hand not holding the flower, and one finger traced over the symbol for a moment, hesitating over the dark side. "Is the dark energy... evil?" she asked.
"I guess it could be, but it doesn't have to be. If dark energy is evil, then there is an opposite on the other side. I guess that could be called good. But look," he said, taking her hand and placing it at the tiny circle of light on the dark side, "The dark is not totally dark. It has light in it." Looking up at Mariemeia, Wufan then asked, "Do you feel like you are evil or something?"
She shook her head quickly, "No. Not evil. Bad sometimes, but not evil. I just wondered where evil came from." She paused then, biting her lower lip again and darting a quick glance at his face before looking at the symbol again, "You studied the war a lot, didn't you?"
Wufan nodded. "Yes," he said. "And I think that evil is all around us all of the time. It doesn't have to come from any place." He then sighed, thinking deeply as the subject of the Crown lashed through his thoughts.
Once again her finger traced over the symbol, memorizing it. "Where do you think he would have been on here?" she asked quietly, "Dark with light, or light with dark?"
Wufan blinked, then thought about all he had read about the fallen General. "Without really knowing him, just from what I've read, I would put him here," he said, pointing to the light side of the circle but a little closer to the dark side than away. "I don't think he was an evil man, no more than I think Zechs Merquise is totally good. I think your father had some good intentions, but I believe that those intentions might have been shaded, maybe by things he had no control over, or he even knew existed."
She seemed to relax then, withdrawing her hand from the paper to return it to her lap. "Smart and fair. It's neat," she said, "But it sounds as if you know something about it."
Wufan nodded. "A little maybe. I'm not from here, though," he said. Then, he looked at her again. "You're not like other girls," he said.
"Huh? What do you mean?" she said, blinking.
Wufan looked down, smiling a little. "You are very smart. You don't act like the girls I go to school with. They giggle a lot and try to pretend they're older. You don't do that," he said. "It's easy to talk to you. Why did you look at Kenny like you did? Does he remind you of Heero?"
She jerked suddenly, straightening as a look of surprise flitted across her face. "Yes! That's what it was! You-" she broke off suddenly, turning to cast a piercing look over Wufan. "Where *are* you from, anyway?" she asked suspiciously.
"Why is it important to you?" he asked, tearing the page with the Yin/Yang symbol from his notebook.
"I guess it's not," she replied slowly, relaxing again, "It's just that you seemed... familiar, That's all."
"Yes, people tell us that," Wufan said, then handed Mariemeia the newly folded paper. "Here, keep it."
"Thank you. I'll try not to say stupid stuff like that around the others. I'm sure you get tired of hearing it," she replied, taking the paper carefully. After a moment she handed him the rose back, "It's funny, but now I'm not going to be able to look at these flowers again without remembering what you said. It makes them less sad to me. You... You're not like other boys I've talked to before either. Thank you," she said shyly.
"Xie xie," Wufan said, then translated. "That means *thank you*, he said. "I like the flowers. They smell good."
She smiled, her eyes lighting up as she looked back up at him. "Wufan? Would you... Could.... Could I be your friend?" she asked in a rush.
Wufan chuckled. "Yes," he said. "I suspect you don't have many friends. Are people afraid of you?"
"Lots of caretakers. No friends," she agreed wryly, a small sigh of relief escaping her, "I think they're more afraid of Lady Une. Speaking of which, how long has it been?"
"I don't know," Wufan said, "But maybe we should get back now."
"Before she sends the Preventers out after me. Yeah, that would be good, I suppose," Mariemeia agreed, hopping up to her feet.
"Mariemeia, could you tell me something? Do you know Chang Wufei well?" he asked, gathering his note pad and rose.
"I thought I did once... But I thought I knew a lot of things then, and most of them were wrong, so I guess... I'd have to say probably not. Why?"
"Because, I wasn't able to find out much about the Gundam pilots, or Zechs and your father, I mean the personal stuff," he said, then lowered his head. "That's not exactly all though. I care about Wufei a lot... I love him. Sometimes he gets sad and I wonder about his life. He's like me sometimes. He is very quiet and I don't wish to hurt him. I thought if you knew, you might be able to tell me something I didn't know."
"I'm not sure if I know anything that might be able to help you. I... I'll think about it, and see what I can remember, okay? He... He was sad sometimes when I knew him too. He was my strength sometimes. I think... I think I may have relied on him too much. But if I remember anything, I'll tell you. Okay?" she said.
"Okay, thank you," Wufan said. "Do you know what he did in the first war? Why was he with you, instead of the other pilots?"
"He was fighting for all the people who had been forced to fight before. He was with me because the peace seemed like a punishment for all the people who'd sacrificed so much in the first war, and because fighting made him feel alive, I think. I'm not sure of all of his reasons for siding with me, but I think part of it may have had something to do with trying to reconcile his warrior's spirit and what seemed like the lack of necessity for it in the world." She frowned slightly to herself then, considering, "I'm glad he found himself at the end there, though. What came before... wasn't his fault. Not to me at least."
Wufan reached down and took Mariemeia's hand to head back inside. "What do you mean? What wasn't his fault?" he asked.
"Siding with me and Dekim," she replied, ducking her head a little to hide the faint flush to her cheeks.
Wufan nodded again to himself. "Mariemeia, I think that all of that had more to do with Dekim Barton than you. It all sounded good, like the victory and ruling part, but I don't think he would have really let you do what you wanted. Big people," he said and shrugged. "Come on. Maybe we can tell Lady Une that you might like school better than the tutors. Sometimes Big People think they're doing the right things and they mean well, but they make mistakes like we do."
She smiled then, giving his hand a quick squeeze as she nodded. "Like I said. Smart *and* fair. It's neat."
Wufan shook his head, but he had a smile on his face as he led them both back inside.
TBC
*That was Ravyn writing for Mareimeia! ^__~
End of Part 15
Please feel free to direct feedback to any or all of the authors!
ravynfyre@hotmail.com,
fenwyck@radiks.net,
sablexo1@yahoo.com,
bonnejeanne@yahoo.com, Nixerchan@aol.com.